Troop Talk

In our present era of protracted warfare, many servicemembers have been injured in combat or have suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury. To facilitate Soldiers receiving the medical care they need, the Army established warrior transition units, known here as the Warrior Transition Battalion. 

When assigned to the WTB, a Soldier has the time and flexibility needed to attend medical appointments and therapy and to break from physical labor that can prevent their bodies from healing. However, standards for getting into WTUs have been inconsistent across the Army. Thus, a standardized process has been put in place to help commanders and medical personnel determine Soldiers’ eligibility. The process is as follows:

There are three ways a Soldier can be accepted into the WTB. If he or she arrives via medical evacuation from theater, the Soldier is automatically placed in the WTB. A medical provider can complete a risk matrix and forward it to the Soldier’s company commander who can complete a nomination packet. A commander can also begin the process by filling out the nomination packet and having a medical provider fill out the risk matrix. All matrixes are sent to the WTB for validation and tracking.

The risk matrix contains a list of questions, such as how many medical appointments a Soldier has, or the length of time required for recovery, and each answer is assigned a point value to help determine whether a Soldier should go to the WTB. If a Soldier scores fewer than 200 points, he or she stays with their unit. If the score is between 201 and 999 points, a board of medical professionals and commanders known as the Triad of Leadership evaluate the Soldier’s case. The Triad decides if the Soldier is accepted to the WTB. Soldiers with more than 1,000 points are also referred to the Triad for evaluation. 

The process is designed to help process Soldiers’ cases quickly and with unbiased methods. It is important for our troops to have the time they need to heal, but also important to ensure only Soldiers who need to be in the WTB are assigned there. It is important to take care of Soldiers in a way that facilitates healing, and the Warrior Transition Unit is one way we can help speed our troops on the road to recovery.

Maj. Gen. Howard B. Bromberg

Fort Bliss Commanding General